The Gold Standard
by Beherenow101
Summary: Follow the young members of Yellow-Team as they grow from being terrified children into Spartans.
1. Chapter 1

**0415 Hours, November 30, 2517 (Military Calender) / Episilon Erandi System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**

Carris stirred and her eyes flickered open. Immediately every muscle in her body was met with the now very familiar sensation of a dull and stiff ache, every morning it was the same and she could barely remember what is was like to not be in pain.

Ever since she had been brought here with each day that passed she was stretched to breaking point as Chief Mendez put her and the rest of the children through a backbreaking routine of drills and exercises. Each day she was put through the ringer and each day she had come out the other side battered and bruised but alive, she wondered how long these men and the lady doctor were going to keep her here, and when she could go home.

Carris swung her rigid, skinny legs off the bunk and sat for a moment dangling her bare feet in the cool morning air. It was still fairly dark in the bunkhouse but out of the barred windows she could see the midnight black sky was turning an orangey blue and the stars were beginning to fade, it must have been very early.

She wondered what had woken her, normally she slept like a log and her days felt almost seamless. Every morning without fail the children were awoken by Mendez at dawn to be put through some hard exercise routines, before being sent on a run across the compound. This was followed by lessons and a small breakfast which was in turn followed by another run and then by some kind of war game. The children were then given dinner, the closest thing they got to 'free' time during the day and then put through more drills before they were finally sent bed, only to close their eyes and then instantly find themselves being roused by Mendez again. Thinking about it made Carris realise she didn't even dream anymore.

As she sat and enjoyed her first truly peaceful moment in months, she noticed she could hear a slight whimpering coming from the far end of the bunkhouse. Carris listened carefully and could hear it was a boy. However he was, he was frantically trying to choke back sobs and in the dim light she could see one of the children at the far end tossing and turning in their cot. Soundlessly she dropped to the floor as not to wake the boy who slept beneath her. His name was Sam and he was tall. She crept through the narrow passage between the two rows of simple metal framed bunks and approached the source of the whimper.

She reached the bunk and quietly climbed the short ladder so her head was poking just over the mattress and seats. Lying in the bunk was a boy bundled up into a ball beneath his sheets, shivering as he tried to hold back his tears.

"Hey" Carris whispered

The boy turned over and sat up in shock. He rubbed his wet eyes on his blankets and backed up against the bedframe, she almost thought it seemed like he had expected to find Mendez standing at the end of his bed. She didn't blame him if he had, she was scared of him too, and she hated him.

"Oh hello" The boy finally said softly, sniffling slightly as he tried in vain to hide what he had been doing.

"Are you ok?" Carris asked.

"Yes" The boy sniffed "Yes I'm fine, sorry if I woke you, I didn't mean to, sorry"

"Can I come up?" Carris smiled.

"Ok" The boy said, he hugged his legs close to himself through the blankets and made room for her.

Carris climbed up the ladder and carefully seated herself on the far end of the bed, making sure as not to make too much noise and wake the boy who was asleep on the bunk bellow. As she sat down she got a better look at the crying boy, he had big brown eyes, closely shorn brown hair and a nose that looked like it had been recently broken.

"What happened to your nose?" Carris blurted out as she made herself comfortable, tucking her legs beneath the sheet.

"Oh it doesn't matter" The boy said sheepishly/

"Tell me" Carris insisted

"One of the other boys beat me up" He said with a pout and a sniff, wiping his eyes on the sleeve of his nightshirt "He said I stole his crackers during Déjà's lessons but I did not! It was John, he always does it! I've seen him!"

"Oh" Carris frowned before smiling "Tell me who it was I will get him back for you!"

"Doesn't matter" The boy said turning away "I will just stay away from him"

"Come on Tell me!"

"You wouldn't be able to beat him up anyway, you're a girl!"

"I could too!" Carris protested eagerly, rocking back and forth on the mattress "Back home, teacher took me out of PE class cause he said I didn't know my own strength, I bet I could get that boy back for you, I bet I could!"

The boy sat on the other end of the bunk smiled before letting out another small snivel.

"No, it's ok, I don't want any more trouble" He said

"That sucks, but ok" Carris pouted "But it's nothing to cry about!"

"I wasn't crying"

"Don't lie, I heard you"

"Then I wasn't crying about that"

The boy looked away and Carris noticed tears were welling up in his eyes again, she slightly bad and wondered if she had been a bit mean to him.

"Sorry" Carris said sheepishly "You aren't a liar, but what were you crying about?"

"I miss my Mum and Dad" The boy sniffed "I hate it here; I just want to go home"

"Me too" Carris said, saying it aloud made her realise how much it was true, she felt herself tearing up slightly but decided she wouldn't cry for the sake of her new friend, she would be strong.

"I just want to close my eyes and wish myself back home. I want to wake up tomorrow and just be back in my room in my house. No more stupid lessons, no more running, no more drills and no more fighting"

The boy was starting to stutter his words as he tried in vain to hold back his sobs. Large tears streaked down his face and pattered softly onto the clean white sheets.

"It's ok" Carris said scooting forward slightly using her legs "It's ok"

"No its not" The boy whimpered

"Yes it is" Carris smiled "Cause we are going to be friends and we are going to stick together!"

The boy looked up at her with his watery brown eyes.

"I don't have any friends here" He sniffed

"You do now; I'm not going to let anyone hurt you anymore"

The boy let out one final sniff and finally a smile crept its way across his broad face.

"My name is Jorge, what's yours?" He said

"Carris" She replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**1050 Hours, February 13, 2518 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Erandi System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**

Carris sat with Jorge in the back of the spacious classroom. She shivered slightly and rubbed her chest with her arms, she felt like death. As the long winter grew even longer their morning calisthenics just got harder and harder. Each breath they took as they ran through the huge compound was frantic and hoarse, leaving small plumes of fogged breath before them that they had to suck down once again. Even with the thick tracksuits Mendez and the other instructors had given to the children, the cold still cut her right to the bone and each morning by the end of the run she felt like she was going to pass out and the grind of Déjà's lessons became welcome simply because the room had heating.

On the holoscreen at the front of the room a simulated battle was playing out. Men in tall hats and red jackets climbed over barricades and marched across the rutted field before cannon fire screamed from the other side of the field and cut them down; Déjà said this had taken place some seven hundred years ago at some place called Waterloo. Carris wasn't really paying attention but Jorge was watching intently, his eyes fixed on the carnage on screen.

Déjà materialized at the front of the class as the vid faded away, she looked as she always did, ethereal, elegant and wearing the trappings of a Greek goddess with barely noticeable lines of code snaking their way across her skin.

"Who can tell me why the British and their allies won this battle?" Déjà said in her soothing soft voice.

Immediately a scruffy looking boy with sandy blonde hair shot his hand into the air.

"Yes" Déjà smiled

The boy stood up, as was usual when answering a question in Déjà's class.

"Was it because the British infantry could withstand the French cavalry charges, ma'am?" He said, his voice was strong and clear.

"And why was that?" The AI pressed

"Because the British trained their infantry to fight in squares ma'am. That meant the French horses couldn't attack them from behind or charge them without massive losses"

"Good Walter, but you are missing something quite important in your explanation; does anyone else know what that is?" Déjà scanned her head around the classroom, Carris could never get used to how much she acted like a real person, when in reality she could see them all of them all the time through the small cameras in the four corners of the classroom.

"Anyone?" Déjà asked.

After another moment's silence another Jorge finally raised his hand. Carris was amazed; Jorge had never spoken in class before, and aside from her, he barely spoke to anybody and kept himself to himself.

"You have an answer for us Jorge?" The AI said.

"Yes Ma'am" Jorge said, Carris could tell he was nervous so she took his hand under the low desk. He shot her a surprised glance and she gave him a slight nod and smile.

"Was it because" Jorge said, he paused for a moment to clear his throat, bringing the words up inside him before continuing on and saying "The British were brave"

There as a slight murmuring of snickering throughout the class and a couple of the children whispered amongst themselves. Carris fired a few angry looks around at those who turned around and could feel Jorge's hand was beginning to sweat, she squeezed tighter.

After a couple of moments that she imagined must have felt absolutely painstaking for Jorge, Déjà finally spoke again.

"You are correct Jorge, thank you, you may take a seat" She said with a smile

"Thank you ma'am" Jorge stuttered, quickly planting himself back down onto his hard plastic chair. He looked over at Carris and smiled, mouthing the words 'thank you'.

"You see children" Déjà said, bringing up the holographic image of a square of British infantry seeing off a charge of French horsemen "It is all well and good to know the textbook back to back and be able to reel off strategies to counter every situation, but were a soldier's real test comes is in the heat of battle, were no amount of academic studies can save you. When you are a British infantryman armed with a slow firing musket standing shoulder to shoulder with your comrades and you are facing down a charge from the thundering horses of a unit of chevaliers, while you may know what formation to snap into it takes something else to do it and keep face in the heat of battle. The British managed to stay steadfast in such a bloody and violent battle and in the end they endured long enough for their allies to arrive on the field. That is what we expect from you, to be the bravest of the bravest and to never falter"

After class had finished the children stepped out into the yard and were once again met by Chief Mendez. Carris thought the man always looked so frightening and today was no different as he stood there chomping on one of his foul smelling cigars with his big broad shoulders, closely cropped black hair and stone jaw. Mendez did not even have to stay anything as the children filed into two lines before starting off on another run across the compound towards the training ground, Mendez following behind them at a leisurely pace in his Warthog.

By the end of the run Carris felt like death again and class seemed like another lifetime ago, she stood panting and coughing with all the other children, some of whom were laid out on their backs trying in vain to catch their breathes. She coughed and spluttered and spat a smallish wad of phlegm onto the grass, she was sure she was going to throw up until she felt a reassuring hand on her back.

"Are you ok?" Jorge asked

"Yeah" Carris coughed, "Yeah I will be fine"

Before Jorge could say anything else Mendez stepped leisurely from his Warthog's driver's seat and turned his attention to the trainees.

"Fall in!" Mendez barked and immediately all the children dashed forward and lined up in a fifteen by five rectangle as was their usual formation. Carris and Jorge found themselves unlucky enough to be standing on the front row.

"So today we have two routines to run" Mendez shouted at the top of his lungs as he marched down the line, twiddling his lit cigar in his fingers "Thirty two of you will be lucky enough to be joining me on our first round of capture the flag and the rest of you will be following Sergeant Nylund here, to run our new assault course, so listen up!"

Mendez pulled a clipboard from the front seat of his warthog and began to read off numbers of the forty children who would be playing capture the flag, dividing them up into four teams of eight for the two matches that would be running in different parts of the training ground.

Carris listened intently for her allotted number 137 to be called out. She waited awhile as the teams Mendez named as Red, Blue and Green were dispatched and sent running off towards the training grounds following their instructors

"002, 013, 052, 066, 076, 090, 122 and 137, you will be Yellow Team, fall in" Mendez yelled and without a moment's hesitation she and the rest of the team scampered off to join the other teams. She was pleased when she realised Jorge was with her, she hadn't been on his team in any of the competitive exercises yet.

The children joined with one of the Instructors that Carris didn't recognise and were led on a brisk jog down a narrow pathway into one of the forests near that grew up beside the training ground. After a very short time they found themselves at a simple structure made up of thick metal scaffolding that rose up around a thick tree that stood in the centre of a small clearing. The gaps in the free were covered by netting that was laced with leaves, doing a very bad job of camouflaging the ungainly build. The eight children stood silent and waited for their instructions.

"Right you horrible lot, I'm Sergeant Hughes" The instructor bellowed.

Carris immediately didn't like him, he was a man with cruel eyes, no neck and a veined bald head. The sergeant was built like a boar and looked as if his uniform was about a size too small as his oddly proportioned mixture of flab and muscle strained against the mottled green fabric.

"Today we are putting you through your first round of Capture the Flag. The rules are simple, capture the enemy flag before they capture yours and try not to hurt each other too much" Hughes shouted, his voice was even louder and much meaner sounding than Mendez's "This is your base camp and today's opponent, Blue Team, has theirs three clicks to the south"

Hughes picked up a furled yellow flag and stuck it into the ground outside of the base, gradually it began to unfurl and flap in the slight afternoon breeze.

"The game starts in fifteen minutes when the klaxon sounds, I expect nothing from you but the best, anything less and you will have to answer to me" Hughes snorted bullishly as started to pace around the eight children.

He stopped next to Carris and gently put a hand on her shoulder, she could feel it was cold and clammy and made her skin crawl.

"Now don't let me down" He growled as he stood towering over her, his beady black eyes staring down into hers. Carris shivered.

Hughes smiled sinisterly for a moment before finally leaving the children alone in the clearing. They stood in silence for a few minutes unsure about what to do.

"I'm Walter" Finally one of the children said "What are your names?"

And with that they went around their small team exchanging names. Of course Carris knew Jorge and then there was Walter, he was the scruffy looking boy with the sandy hair who had spoken in class earlier, he was number 013. 002 was a boy with a pug nose and a gap between his teeth called Albert. 066 was a lanky looking boy with dark skin and dark hair called Soren. 076 was a girl with short blonde hair and soft blue eyes, Carris thought she was pretty, her name was Joanna. 090 was a boy with a narrow face and mischievous green eyes, when he introduced himself Carris noticed Jorge shift nervously, his name was Maximilian. And 122 was another boy and he had tan skin and black hair that looked slightly longer that it should have been, Carris expected that Mendez would make him get it cut soon, his name was Joseph.

"We need to think of a plan" Walter said after they had finished "I don't want to get on that Sergeants bad side, he seems mean"

"And creepy" Carris added, noticing there was a damp patch on her dark grey fatigues were the fat man had placed his sweaty palm.

"Yeah" Maximilian agreed "So what do you have in mind brainer?"

"Don't call me brainer" Walter said

"You always get top marks on tests, you're a brainer" Maximilian said pointing at him.

"And you're not very nice" Joanna piped up

"Just saying what he is!" Maximilian protested before adding "Shut up"

"We need to work as a team" Joseph cut in "We cannot start fighting already"

"Hmph" Maximilian shrugged "I bet I could capture the flag all by myself"

"Could not" Carris said,

"Could so"

"Could not"

"Well you just watch me!" Maximilian pouted defiantly "I'm the fastest and the strongest one here"

"You are not" Albert said "I am stronger!"

"And I am faster!" Soren added

"Liars!" Maximilian shouted waving his arms around and pointing at the two of them "Liars, Liars!"

Carris was sick of this.

"Just stop it!" She said, stepping forward and pushing Maximilian's pointing hand down "You aren't going to help us win if you keep being such an idiot!"

"You're an idiot!" Maximilian said and pushed her back "Don't call me an idiot"

Carris stumbled back and tripped over root, hitting the leaf strewn forest floor hard. She was taken aback by how strong the boy actually was; maybe he wasn't lying when he said he was the strongest. But even if he wasn't a liar he was still a bully.

"Take it back!" Maximilian said "I'm not an idiot!"

She tried to stand back up but Maximilian stepped forward and pushed her back down again hard. She fell back and hit the ground even harder this time, slamming her head against the root of a tree that was jutting from the dirt. She let out a scream and rolled over onto her stomach clutching the back of her skull.

"Hey leave her alone!" Jorge shouted as he stepped past the other children.

Carris rolled back onto her back and scrambled to her feet to find Jorge standing squaring up to Maximilian. Carris had never seen him like this and she could see he had raised himself to full height and was standing taller than the other boy.

"What are you going to do wimp!" Maximilian spat "Coming to save your girlfriend? Remember what happened last time!"

Carris could see Jorge's hands were rolled into fists; he was shaking and fighting back tears.

"You gonna cry?" Maximilian taunted "Just like before, crybaby!"

Carris guessed Maximilian must have been the boy who had beaten up Jorge for stealing his crackers a few days before they had first met. Carris had expected Jorge to be quivering through fear, he didn't like confrontation with anyone, she wanted to protect him but the other boy was much stronger than her. But then as she crawled to her feet she could see in Jorge's eyes was not just fear, there was something else, anger.

"Crybaby! Crybaby!" Maximilian taunted again and again.

"Stop it!" Walter yelled, trying to make himself heard over Maximilian's shrill repetitive cries "We don't have time! We have to think of a plan!"

But before anyone had realised what had happened Maximilian crumpled to the floor clutching his gut and letting out loud mewls of pain. Jorge stood over him shaking, his fists still clenched.

"Say sorry!" Jorge bellowed at the top of his lungs.

"No!" Maximilian weakly cried as he lay bawling in agony.

Jorge stepped forward and kicked the boy in the stomach causing him to scream and cry again.

"I said say sorry!" Jorge roared

After another few moments of loud yowling and rolling around on the floor Maximilian finally let the word slip from his lips and he apologised.

"Good" Jorge said and stepped away from the boy, allowing him to cautiously climb to his feet, his face now streaked with dirt and tears.

Carris gave Maximilian a slight sneer as she walked past him and re-joined the team next to Jorge. The seven children crouched around and watched as Walter drew out a plan of attack and defence in the dirt with a stick. After a short while Maximilian joined them and listened quietly as he choked on his sobs of pain. Walter let him be involved, he gave him the job of over watch and sent him up the tree their simple base was built around, and when he spotted blue team he was caw twice like a blackbird.

Joesph and Albert were to also be on defence and guard the two entrances with sticks broken off nearby trees. Walter made Carris and Jorge his distraction team, and as they ran around the enemy base and drew off and confused their defences, he and Albert would slip in the back and grab the flag. Then as they ran away and were chased, they would give the flag to Joanna who would remain hidden as they drew off the last of the enemy team before she ran in and captured it, since they finally came to the conclusion, that she was the fastest.

Walter's plan went off mostly without a hitch except for Soren being floored while he and Walter ran away the other team's base; he claimed that the girl who did it could run faster than Mendez's warthog, but no one believed him. Joesph and Albert saw off the enemy attacks with nothing but a broken nose and a few cuts and bruises. Maximilian played his part quietly and well and even smiled and joined in their celebrations when they were all reunited and realised they had won.

Carris was of course happy with the victory but she felt happier for Jorge. She didn't say anything at the time with all the other children around, but she was proud of him. She had always felt like he was her little brother, but now she was so happy to see her little brother was growing up.


	3. Chapter 3

**1440 Hours, December 15, 2520 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Erandi System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**

Carris charged through the rutted and puddle filled clearing and dived into the trench as the stun rounds peppered the undergrowth behind her. She edged forward and kept her head down as she moved through the muck towards her squad mates. She couldn't help but grimace as flecks of mud splattered up her face as she pulled herself along on her elbows. It had raining for the past three days and despite numerous landslides in forests above the training camp Mendez was insistent that they continued on with their war games. While she couldn't fault his reasoning and she knew that when it came down to it there would have to fight rain or shine, she still couldn't help but feel begrudging towards him.

Moving through the bog like trench she found one half of Yellow Team knee deep in the mud propped up against the high sided and slippery dirt walls. Joseph -122 was sat frantically trying to get the radio that Sergeant Hughes had given them with the rest of their kit to work. He cursed as he switched it on and heard nothing but static before he popped the set's side panel and began to tinker with the circuitry once more. Jorge and Maximilian -090 were heatedly discussing a plan of action and exchanging strong words with one another as they tried to work out what to do. Soren -066 had removed his helmet and had it perched atop a thick branch, he lifted it cautiously and as soon as it cleared the trench there was a crack of gunfire that left the it spinning, reaffirming what they already knew, they were pinned.

"Bad news" Carris said as she moved into their midst and sat herself up against the trench wall "They got Joanna"

"Dammit" Soren spat as he placed his now stun round smattered helmet back on his head

"Was it worth the run?" Jorge asked, cautiously running his hand along his training rifle

"Not really" Carris said "Green Team are well entrenched up on the bluff and have a sniper somewhere in the treeline, I think its Linda, she's the only one who could hit Joanna at that distance while she's going at full pelt"

"Then I agree with Soren, dammit" Jorge scowled "Any sign of Walter and Albert?"

Carris shook her head glumly.

"Then his ambush must have failed" Jorge said gritting his teeth "We are on our own"

"Aha!" Joseph exclaimed triumphantly as he flicked a switch on the radio "We are back online"

Carris was impressed; Joseph seemed to be able to fix anything. He had even managed to get Chief Mendez's warthog running again even after all the mechanics on the base had said the thing was shot. Granted he wasn't supposed to have snuck into the garage to have a look at it, but it garnered him both a verbal chiding and extra ration tokens.

"Nice one" Soren grinned "We best try to raise Walter"

"You don't have to tell me twice" Joseph said as he picked up the mouth piece "Hey Walter, do you read me?"

There was a tense moment as they all awaited a voice to cut through the static. Carris wouldn't believe Walter had got himself eliminated, he was always so careful and even with Linda's eyes on Red's side, they would have a hard time spotting Walter when he didn't want to be seen.

"Joseph?" Walter's voice crackled back "You guys are still in this!"

"That's right, but we lost Joanna" Joseph spoke into the set.

"Dammit. Well if everyone else is still up we still have a chance"

"We are pinned down at the bottom of the hillside and are coming under automatic and sniper fire from up top"

"Me and Albert can see their positions and they are pretty well dug in, they have managed to capture a machine gun bunker as well but they haven't been firing it, guess they don't want you to know they have it"

"There's not a lot we can do down here Walter, unless you and Albert want to take on their whole team I think Green has got this one in the bag"

"No I can think something, give me time"

"Well you better think fast man, over and out"

Joseph set the handset back into the pack and slumped back in the mud despondently. All the team felt pretty grim, they hadn't won a combat exercise in nearly a month, and now as they sat here in the muck with stun rounds popping around them and enemies in a superior position it looked like they were facing another loss to tot up on their résumé. There had to be a way out of this, there just had to be.

An hour of torment passed as they sat in the dugout, occasionally chancing checks and scouting missions to look for alternate roots of exit, but to no avail. Another hour passed during which Walter radioed in with the news that Albert was down, the pair had passed through some nettles and Albert couldn't stop fidgeting as he was stung. That was enough for Linda and quickly she noticed him and knocked him down for the count with a single stun round from her high calibre rifle. Walter felt he had got very lucky.

Another half hour or so passed, but then Jorge finally spoke up.

"There is a way we can get out of this, it won't guarantee our victory but it means you guys can get out of this dammed trench" He said grimly

"What do you have in mind?" Carris said

"About four hundred metres east down the trench there is a small opening into the scrub, you can probably only crawl through it one by one. I didn't mention it before since while one or two of us may get through, it won't take long for their snipers to spot us, but I think I know what we have to do"

"What do you mean?" Said Soren.

"The opening is small enough and at such an angle that I should be able to cover the exit for you guys"

"You're going to sacrifice yourself?" Carris exclaimed "No way, we win and lose together; I'm not going to let you do that"

"Carrie it's the only way" Jorge said, his demeanour heavy "So what about my K/D? We need this win"

"If you're sure, we will do it" Maximilian nodded

"No" Carris cut across him "Jorge you don't have to, I will provide cover"

"Carrie it can only be me" Jorge said "I'm the biggest target"

Carris knew he wasn't wrong, the slightly wimpy and weedy boy who she had met those years ago was long gone. Jorge, like the rest of them, was only ten years old but he was almost 6ft already and was a mass of muscle. While the others were also big and very strong for their age none of them in their squad, and even out of the rest of the Spartans save for Samuel -034, were as big and strong as Jorge.

"I got this" Jorge smiled "Come on, lets move"

Reluctantly Carris followed with Maximilian, Soren and Joseph in tow. They edged along keeping themselves flat to the ground as to give any reason for Green Team to think they were moving. Carefully they came to a slight dip in the near side of the fence that led away from the battlefield and into the dense undergrowth. Jorge poked his head over the far side of the trench to check if the coast was clear and then silently signalled for Carris to begin the slippery ascent.

She dug her boots in the mud and crawled on her belly up the small incline and into the undergrowth, she tried to move as quickly and as fluidly as possible but as soon as she pulled her boot clear into the undergrowth there was the crack of a sniper rifle and a stun round slammed into where she had been moments before.

"Go!" Jorge bellowed and Joseph, Maximilian Soren scampered up the incline as quickly as they could.

Jorge hauled himself out of the trench and began to fire shots into Green Team's position. His hulking form did exactly what he said it would and provided cover for the other young Spartans to escape into the brush. Carris watched through the undergrowth as there was another crack from a sniper file, she watched as Jorge buckled and dropped to one knee but she was astonished when he did not fall. Instead he hauled himself back to his feet and continued to fire, albeit a lot of clumsily then he had been before as he stood trying to keep his balance, swaying as if drunk. Carris helped Joseph, then Maximilian and then Soren through the opening and they were clear.

"Jorge, come on!" She shouted but there was another crack from the rifle and with this one he fell, tumbling end over end into the trench and landing face down in the mud.

The four remaining members of Yellow team moved swiftly and silently through the brush and away from the trench, while they had escaped there was still a lot to do.


	4. Chapter 4

**2020 Hours, December 15, 2520 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Erandi System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**

Yellow Team had lost.

Carris cursed herself as she trudged back with her team mates towards the armoury and the showers. After Jorge had went down things were looking up, they managed to swing round and rendezvous with Walter on the far edge of the incline and followed him up the route that he and Albert had paved out before 002 had got himself shot.

They headed up and set an ambush around Green's entrenched position, while they were down three soldiers they had the element of surprise. They looked like they were on the verge of victory but someone, or more specifically Soren, made a mistake. He mistook Walter's hand single for 'head right' for the one 'engage' he opened fire and despite taking down two of Green's Spartans it just bought him a sniper round the chest from Linda.

With their cover blown there was no choice but to attack and the four remaining Yellows had charged into a kill box, mowed down by assault rifle fire. Carris had managed to get a couple of shots on target and take down a member of Green but for her efforts she received a smattering stun rounds up her right flank that had her still feeling numb and clumsy.

"I'm sorry guys" Soren pleaded as they marched silently "There was a branch in the way, I didn't see the signal properly!"

"Well I best be a bit more forceful with my movements next time" Walter hissed, trying in vain to hide his anger. Walter was always the first to admit when he had made a mistake and was always ready to share the burden of blame, but now was not a good time for him.

Carris did feel bad for him; Walter had been their de facto squad leader ever since they had started true combat exercises. He had a keen mind for strategy and always placed in the top five during Déjà's assessments; she couldn't help but feel they were letting him down, especially as their record in the past had been so strong. A

nd unfortunately, as was the way in the military, it was the commanding officer who picked up the flak for his soldiers failings; Carris expected that Mendez would have some strong words with Walter, ones that he didn't deserve.

Yellow Team reached the armoury and passed through the gates into the small compound. It is was a network of boxy grey concrete buildings that were covered equipment, vehicles, changing rooms and shower rooms, everything Spartans returning from or going to combat could possibly need. Green team were already there and exiting the changing rooms, out of their combat armour back into their plain grey fatigues, led by their instructor plain faced Sergeant Banks.

"You fought well today Spartans" Banks said as they passed "You very nearly had my guys out there"

"Thank you sir" Walter said, forcing conscientiousness.

"Just bad luck I guess. Better luck next time" Banks said with a smile and a friendly pat on Walter's shoulder before he led his team away at a stern jog.

Each member of the Green team gave the Yellows a nod as they passed. Carris reeled their names off in her head, Kurt -051, Naomi -010, Linda -058, Solomon -069, Uma -113, Buck -097, Toby -019 and Fhajad -084. They were the ones who had won; they were the ones who in the instructor's eyes were better. Carris felt slightly ill but saved face, she couldn't feel angry at them, they were just like she was, out to win.

As the Yellows crossed the yard they found Sergeant Hughes waiting for them at the entrance to the showers. He stood with his arms folded and was shaking his head, since they had first met him those three years ago Carris could not decide whether he had grown fatter or more muscular, but he still looked like an overstuffed sausage in his uniform.

"You guys look like shit" Sergeant Hughes scowled "Don't yah?"

"Yes sir" They all replied in unison, Hughes liked to do this every time they lost.

"You guys gonna do better next time and not embarrass me again?"

"Yes sir" They said again.

"Good now get yourselves cleaned up"

Again they replied in kind.

The six boys went one way and the two girls the other.

Carris found the showers warm and welcoming as the water washed away the caked on mud that covered her. Even after the most bitter loss the showers were always a treat and helped quell some of the ache. The water also helped bring life into the She washed herself clean quickly, grabbed a towel and made her way to the changing room, while she would have liked to have stayed longer she imagined the Sergeant wouldn't have it.

Carris entered the simple white tiled locker room and made her way towards her locker. Joanna was already there and changed, she gave Carris a weak smile as they passed at the door but she didn't say anything. Carris knew Joanna well enough to know she would still be hurting from being the first to get knocked out during the war game, let alone being sniped while she was sprinting and evading, the one skill she prided herself on.

Carris crossed the room and entered the combination on the dial of the tall steel locker. Inside there was nothing but a set of neatly folded grey fatigues with white underwear and a pair of standard issue heavy black boots. She towelled herself down and pulled on the loose fitting clothes before starting to rub her short and neatly cut black hair dry.

Things felt like they had changed a lot in the last three years but now her life before she was a Spartan was just a fast fading memory. She had been sure that today's date of December 15th once held some special significance to her, but she couldn't remember what. She had changed, everyone she knew had changed and the whole world looked a lot different. She was a Spartan now and she would stay and do her duty for mankind.

As she stood and finished up her hair she heard a set of heavy footfalls enter the locker room, she turned around to see Sergeant Hughes standing in the door way with his thumbs tucked into his belt loops.

"Get out here now meat!" Hughes bellowed.

"Yes sir. Sorry sir" Carris replied like clockwork and quickly threw down the towel and slammed her locker shut, marching across the room quickly and re-joining the other Spartans who waited outside.

Despite looking a lot better now they had washed the days grime, blood and sweat off them, a heavy air of disappointment still hung over the team. Carris knew none of them were angry at one another really. While they could all easily blame Soren for breaking cover or hold Walter responsible for not acting quicker to stop Green entrenching, they had all been through so much together one loss, even if it was another on a streak, was not about to break up their feelings of comradeship.

She gave her teammates a smile as she entered the fold of the group, but before she could say anything they all snapped to attention as Sergeant Hughes came upon them.

"You really are a bunch of useless shits" Hughes spat angrily "Can't even fucking shower quick enough"

Hughes strode forward and stood over Carris, his breath stunk of cheap cigars.

"You" He shouted right into her face, showering her in flecks of spittle "Drop and give me fifty"

Carris obeyed but she could feel anger welling up inside her. She got onto her knees, feeling the dirt and mud of the courtyard between her fingers and started. She knew fifty push-ups was child's play and it was not the having to do them that angered her, it was Hughes, everything about him, and she hated him more every day. While the other sergeants where firm but supportive Hughes never gave them anything but abuse and heavy handed scolding. His lessons where brief and useless, he rarely challenged them and his tactical advice ranged from reckless to completely moronic. All he seemed to do was shout orders at them and tell them how they were not as good as the other teams. Carris wished she could just knock him out for the count, she knew she could, but she also knew she would never strike a superior officer.

As she carried on and her arms pumped up and down she looked up and gave Hughes a defiant look, she wanted him to know that these were nothing to her, and that she could handle anything he could dish out. Hughes scowled at her, so she started to alternate arms, doing each press up one handed, still keeping her eyes looked on him. Carris knew she was better than him, stronger, faster and smarter and she wanted him to know that too.

As Carris stared at him the veins of Hughes' fat neck began to bulge and his face turned purple, she knew he could taste her insubordination and she loved that he knew. The sergeant stepped forward and pushed the other Spartans out of the way so it was just him standing over her. Raising his large booted foot her placed it into the small of her back and stomped down on her back. Carris was slightly winded and lost her balance, she fell face first into the dirt and lay their splayed for a moment.

"Come on you cocky bitch" Hughes barked "You still have fifteen more to do, let's see if you can do it"

Hughes put all his weight on her back and she could feel the crushing pain shooting through her. Carris sucked in what air she could and dug her finger nails into the mud. No, she thought, she wouldn't let him beat her, she could do this, she could handle it. She pushed off with all her might and did another push up, raising her body and fighting the pressure on her back. Sweat beaded across her forehead and her muscles screamed tirelessly, but she would not let him win. She did another and another, each time it got harder and soon it felt like the weight of everything was sat bearing down upon her. After twelve she slipped, falling back into the mud with a splatter, her freshly cleaned hair now caked in dirt once again. She forced herself into the thirteenth, she could do it, she knew she could, she thought she could. Carris forced herself up but half way she felt her shoulders just go, she had nothing left and once more she tumbled into the earth.

"Useless" Hughes spat as he continued putting his weight onto her "A useless piece of trash"

Carris snapped.

She found strength within herself and threw Hughes off of her, rolling away to the left and leaving him startled and stumbling. Quickly she scrambled to her feet and stood to face him, she clenched her fists and felt her teeth grinding together so hard they felt as if they could shatter at any moment.

The two stared at each other for a moment, her blue eyes into his black ones, she hated him, she wanted to hurt him. Hughes must have seen the fire in her as he took a brief step back before a devilish grin returned to his face. Without taking his eyes off her, he plucked a small handset from his belt.

"Command, this is Staff Sergeant Hughes. Over" He spoke into his radio

"Hughes this is Command, report. Over" The voice of a man manning the command post somewhere else in the compound crackled.

"I've got a problem with 137. Permission to pacify? Over"

Carris breathes were short and ragged as she tried to contain herself. She knew what was about to happen and she knew it was her fault. She had challenged her commanding officer and now she would have to pay the price, somewhere in her mind she knew she shouldn't have risen to his taunts and she should have just sucked it up, but she didn't care, she wanted this. There was a moments silence as Hughes awaited the response.

"Permission granted. Non-Lethal force only Sergeant and as little damage as possible. I will send a control team over to back you up. Over" The voice crackled again.

"Over and out" Hughes grinned before fastening the small handset back to his belt.

Carris stood ready; she wondered how long the fat-man could last. She cast a glance at the other Spartans. They had all backed off slightly into the courtyard, she didn't blame them and she knew they wouldn't help her, they were sensible. It was not uncommon for the Spartans to get into fights with their trainers or handlers, and normally it never ended well for either party, but Carris intended to enjoy this for as long as she could. She couldn't understand why Hughes' was still smiling though; didn't he know that she was going to pummel him into the ground? The sergeant had about forty years on her and was more than a bit out of shape, as well as being unarmed; she knew she could punish him.

But as Carris stood ready to attack she realised she had made a mistake. Hughes reached round to his back and pulled out a stun baton that had been concealed in his size-too-small trousers waist band. Before she had time to rethink her plan of attack Hughes had already lunged forward and was bearing down upon her. She raised her arm to block the oncoming strike but with his free hand Hughes caught it and twisted hard. Carris found herself screaming, she had made another mistake.

She tried to reel back but the sergeant's grip was too strong. With her free hand she went to strike and landed an open palm strike into the sergeant's face, feeling his nose shatter and two of his teeth break free of his gums. The sergeant backed off and clutched his face, spitting blood and his broken teeth into the muck. Carris retreated slightly before springing forward for another hit, while Hughes may have been strong, there was no way he could be fast.

She landed another strike to his belly, feeling through the layers of fat that there was in fact the rock-hard muscle underneath. Hughes took a step back but caught her second blow that was aimed once more for his face. Using his weight he pulled Carris in and wrapped his trunk like arm around her neck. Carris struggled but before she could react she felt the prongs of the stun baton drive into her lower back and a wash of stinging numbness wash across her body. Carris tumbled forward to the ground as the Sergeant released his headlock.

Groggily she tried to get to her feet but the stun baton was potent, her vision was blurred and her muscles felt sluggish. As she raised herself on her knees a heavy impact knocked her back down again, slamming her into the mud. She could taste a mixture of dirt and blood in her mouth.

Before she could rise again she felt the hefting form of Sergeant Hughes on top of her. He must have weighed at least three hundred pounds and he straddled her from behind, driving his forearm into the back of her neck. The Sergeant punched her twice in her right flank and then once in the back of the head, leaving her ears ringing, before he let his whole weight pin her to the ground. She struggled but no avail and before she could scream Hughes clapped one of his hands around her mouth. It stunk of earth and tobacco.

Please no, Carris thought.

She continued to writhe but the Sergeant just pressed down harder. Carris shook her head in his grasp, trying to break free and trying to shake off the effects of the first stun baton shock quickly. She had to escape; she would win. Carris pushed off with all her might and she bucked off the ground, taking the Sergeant's great weight with her. She felt his frantic hands go for her throat.

No, Carris thought.

She pushed off again and raised herself up, taking all the fat and muscle of Hughes onto her back. Her muscles screamed in agony but surged with adrenaline. Sweat beaded across her forehead and soon she was standing again but with Hughes's hairy forearm wrapped around her throat and his other arm around her waist. She elbowed him in the gut three times, she felt one of his ribs crack on the final blow and heard him let out a hiss of pain like a balloon deflating; but he would not let go. Carris felt his arm tighten around her throat and breathing became hard, her vision beginning to black out.

No, no, no, Carris thought.

With every ounce of strength she could muster she kicked off with both legs and sent both of them slamming against one of the armoury's concrete walls. There was a high pitched wail of pain and she was free, tumbling forward from the Sergeant's vice grip. She stopped herself from hitting the earth and turned around.

Hughes sat crumpled in a heap against the wall with his legs splayed. His beady black eyes stared forward and were glazed as he sat raggedly wheezing for breath. Blood bubbled around his lips and he made the most horrible guttural gurgling sounds as he died.

Oh please god no, Carris thought.

She realised what she had done and she had done something awful. She couldn't think, she didn't really know what he just happened, she couldn't believe what had just happened, she had just killed a man with her bare hands. Carris stood for a moment and just looked at the Sergeant's lifeless body. His eyes that once looked so cruel looked terrified, in his last moments he had feared her, he had feared for his life. Carris began to quiver, she didn't mean too.

She broke down and began to scream.


	5. Chapter 5

**0600 Hours, December 16, 2520 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Erandi System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**

"We knew there would be fatalities" Mendez said coolly, standing unshaken and emotionless on the other side of Halsey's desk.

"We did" Catherine conceded, reclining back slightly into the plush leather of her office chair "I just did not expect them so soon"

"I think it's a miracle we have not had one already" Mendez said taking a draw on his Sweet William cigar.

"They are developing quicker than we expected it seems" Halsey said, suppressing a cough as the pungent but flavoursome smoke drifted towards her. She didn't mind the Senior Chief smoking; he had been through enough in his long and decorated career to earn the right to indulge one his few little pleasures without a civilian telling him otherwise.

"You don't have to tell me twice" Mendez said as he exhaled "They have surpassed all expectations. While they may not know it yet they are more than a match for most of the marines on site"

Catherine knew what Mendez was going to suggest next, and as much as she would have liked to have denied him as she had the last fifty times, she knew this time there was no way she could stand her ground.

Since the very start of the project Mendez had been pushing for his men to be better armed, he seemed to be constantly worrying about the threat of rebellion within the ranks. Halsey knew that the Chief respected the Spartans immensely and did everything he could to instil in them a sense of loyalty, but he had seen discontent and uprising tear apart nearly the whole UNSC, so he couldn't be blamed for having mild paranoia.

The ONI brass who supported him though, they were a different story. While Mendez's concerns were bred through experience, the ONI higher ups were bred from necessity. During every monthly report and quarterly performance assessment, Halsey had to stand against the pressure of her superiors who questioned her methods. But they did not call her out on being too extreme as she had expected when she first laid out her plans for the Spartans, instead they called her out on being too soft. ONI seemed to want automatons rather than soldiers, and an internment camp rather than a training facility. She had managed to baulk their requests for an increase in personnel and armament a hundred times over, but now with a man being killed onsite at the hands of one of the children, she knew that if she didn't give in, they would replace her with someone who would.

"I think we need to increase our security measures doctor" Mendez said as if on cue "The Spartan's might soon become too much to handle and the men are already on edge"

"I don't think so Franklin" Catherine fretted; she knew she couldn't hold out forever but god damn it she would try.

"Look ma'am, I understand how you are feeling" Mendez said, stubbing out his cigar into her desk's clean and unused ashtray; she always made sure it put it out during her and Mendez's little chats "But we need to maintain order among the ranks. Things are quiet for the moment, but we need to be careful. In case something happens we need to be ready, before the Spartans figure out what they are"

"And what are they Franklin?" Halsey said, swivelling her chair round to face the open blinds.

"Deadliest killers mankind has ever produced" Mendez said sternly.

Through the shutters she could see almost every corner of the duskily lit compound. To the south she could see the long-shadowed silhouettes of the Spartans already going through their morning routines outside their trio of long-houses. While it was odd for Mendez not to be there putting them through their paces, they were more pressing matters to attend to, and hopefully the Spartans would not question it is things went on as normal. Well, as normal as things could be when their number on this chilly winter morning was seventy-four rather than seventy-five.

Halsey hadn't been on site when yesterday's incident had happened, but if she had been she may have stopped what had happened to Carris. When she returned from her briefing at CASTLE base and Mendez had informed her what had happened she had feared the worse, she knew how crazy people got when they were scared. A thousand thoughts had run through her mind, she feared for the girl and what they marines may have done to her. But luckily Mendez had been on hand to stop the worst of it.

Halsey knew she hadn't been told all of what had happened when the suppression team had arrived at the armoury; the marines had made sure they were keeping their stories consistent air tight and notably leaving out how Carris and the rest of Yellow Team had received the majority of their worst injuries. She had only met Hughes on a handful of occasions and she thought that he was a distasteful slob, but she knew that he was popular among the men and they weren't taking his death well.

While most of Yellow Team had been sent back to their bunkhouses with only a handful of superficial injuries, Carris had been beaten within an inch of her life, cuffed, wrestled into the back of a flatbed warthog and locked in solitary confinement. Halsey needed to decide what to do with her. The scientist in her knew that Carris was far too valuable to be kept out of training for too long, as were all the children. But the women in her knew she couldn't imagine how the girl was feeling. While they had been trying to make the Spartan's relatively detached with a mixture of emotionless contact, brutal conditioning and a slight lacing of inhibitors in their food, they were still only ten years old, and to kill a man at that age, with your bare hands no less, must have been hard to cope with.

"I see your point Franklin" Halsey muttered, "And you know I don't like it"

"I do ma'am" Mendez said, Halsey heard the strike of a match as he lit another cigar "But I don't like putting my men at risk either"

"I'm not doing this for your men" Halsey said, swivelling her chair back to face the aging officer "I'm doing this for the Spartans. If I hold out and go against the higher ups yet again, I'm sure they will replace me. And that means I will end up shipped away to some backwater research base and some hardliner will step in with a bunch of big ideas about upping the children's inhibitor intake and turning them into some kind of legion of unstoppable zombies instead of humanity's best soldiers"

"I see" Mendez said with a nod "Well if it means anything ma'am, if ONI ship you out, they can kiss my ass goodbye as well"

Halsey chuckled.

"Well that's good to hear" She said with a smile "But I'm going to make sure that doesn't happen. Just tell me what you want and I will send out the requisition orders when I submit my report"

"Good to hear that too ma'am" Mendez said with a nod "And thank you"

"Lethals will still be confined to the ammo lockers though, and only you and I will have the authority to have them loosed"

"Understood"

They were interrupted as there came a heavy knocking on the frosted glass of the office door.

"Come in" Halsey said raising her voice.

The door swung open and a man in neat military dress entered. Halsey recognised him as Gunnery Sergeant Rivers, one of her facilities more senior staff and one of the few men directly under Mendez. She couldn't help but think he would have been handsome if it were not for his hideous pencil moustache. He saluted rigidly and removed his boxy green cap.

"Sir" He said looking at Mendez, before turning to Halsey and saying "Ma'am"

"What is it marine?" Mendez said, his voice sounding noticeably irritated at its underling's interruption.

"Sorry sir" Rivers said, obviously picking up on Mendez's unhidden annoyance "But it is number 137, she has come too"

"And what's she doing?" Catherine cut in.

"She crying ma'am" Rivers answered frankly.

Catherine felt herself feel like she wanted to run to Carris's side but she quashed this fleeting thought and tried to remain stone faced. She gave a brief look at Mendez and could tell he knew what she was thinking. While she knew he wouldn't exactly approve of her level of personal investment, he would appreciate the thought and it was moments like this that let him know that she wasn't merely some kind of cold hearted lab technician.

"You will release her" Halsey said firmly.

"I'm unsure that is wise ma'am. 137 is both dangerous and unstable" Rivers frowned, obviously not having a moments regret at questioning her orders. It was times like this that the marines and naval personnel on site liked to remind her that she was still merely a civilian, despite her commission.

"I said you will release her. She is part of my programme and I will not have her taken out of her training for any longer" Halsey glared "You will remove her from her confinement, send her to the infirmary to receive treatment for the wounds your men inflicted on her, and then allow her to rejoin the rest of the programme"

"With respect Doctor" Rivers said, she could tell he didn't take her seriously "137 is a member of the chain of command, and she murdered a superior officer. She should be dealt with in the proper manner benefitting one of her position"

"You have got to be kidding" Halsey spat angrily

"No Ma'am"

Halsey clenched her fists. So this was the start of it, if she didn't know better she would think the military men were simply playing a childish game for control, but she knew it was much worse than that, they wanted revenge, revenge against a ten year old girl.

"Didn't you hear the lady?" Mendez said; his voice hard as nails and cutting as a razor.

Rivers looked at his superior officer nervously.

"I did sir, but..." He begun

"Then if you did" Mendez hissed harshly "What's the problem? "

"With respect..." He continued

"With respect nothing marine!" Mendez yelled, just as he would raise his voice to a cadet "You will release 137 or you yourself will be facing a court-martial for insubordination"

Rivers clenched up and said nothing, sweat visibly beading across his forehead.

"These Spartans are under the protection of ONI and any questions regarding their future go through me and the Doctor" Mendez growled, a vein pulsing on his thick neck "And I say that you will release number -137"

Rivers stood silent.

"Now Sergeant!" Mendez bellowed.

"Sir yes sir!" Rivers cried, turning about on his heels and scampering from the room and leaving the door swinging on its hinges behind him.

Halsey couldn't help but give Mendez a smile.

"Thank you Franklin" Catherine said.

"I trust you doctor" Franklin sighed, calming himself with a long draw on his Sweet William "And I hope that you know what you're doing"


	6. Chapter 6

**1130 Hours, December 17, 2520 (Military Calendar) / Epsilon Erandi System, Reach Military Complex, planet Reach**

The morgue was cold and clean, lit with bright and hard fluorescent lighting that was exaggerated by the white walls and white tiles.

Up until a few days ago the place had been completely unused, lying completely dormant since its construction some five years ago. Unfortunately though, that uneasy peace had been shattered when medics wheeled in the battered and broken corpse of Sergeant Hughes for autopsy and disposal.

Mendez had been briefed by one of the hospital corpsman on what had the killed the big man. Apparently when 137 had reversed the Sergeant's pin and slammed him hard up against the wall it had severed his fifth and sixth cervical vertebrae, killing him quickly, but painfully. A nasty way to go, Mendez thought, but he couldn't dwell on that now or hold it against the girl.

Despite protests from other officers he and Halsey went through with their plan and had 137 released and neither of them had intention against levying disciplinary action against her.

Some of the more vocal officers took in shame in expressing how they were out for 137's blood. Others, like Sergeant Rivers, tried to hide by a masquerade of protocol, but Mendez had been around long enough to know that they were just as bad and had the same malicious thoughts of revenge.

Luckily though, Mendez did not find himself and the doctor alone in their defence of their Spartans. Surprisingly they received support from a number of the children's other handlers and instructors for their decision to release 137. These men and women who worked so closely with the Spartans, had appreciated the delicacy of the situation as a whole and the fragility of the children themselves.

Mendez did think that fragile seemingly was a good term to describe the children at the moment, they were only ten yet had been put through more hardships than most see in a lifetime, while at the same time having to endure growing up and coming to grips with their own newfound strength. It was hard for them, and incidents like this could throw the whole programme into jeopardy. Mendez knew he would just have to work harder when all this had blown over, he would still make them the ultimate soldiers, whatever the cost.

But for now while the programme as a whole was sitting relatively stable, they were still sitting at an uneasy seventy four out of seventy five Spartans.

Despite her release, 137 had spent the last day in the infirmary and it looked likely they she would be there for several more days. The Spartans' usual rate of recovery from injury was immensely impressive, thanks to a mixture of their honed fitness and drug supplements of course, but with the extent of 137's wounds it would still take her a little while to get back to her feet.

Thinking about it left Mendez with a very sour taste in his mouth and he intended to launch an enquiry into what the hell had happened and find out what the marines were not telling him. When he had the time, he would grill the members of the response team that went to Hughes aid until they were burnt black and he knew everything he needed to. Heads would roll, they had overstepped the mark.

Mendez eyed the men stood around him with a piercing stare, they are all saluted as he fell in and joined the rest of the members of the wake. He recognised all their faces, he knew every marine on site, and he knew some of these men had been members of the team that assaulted Carris. Mendez could tell they still looked angry but most of them merely looked at their boots as he gave them permission to stand down. While he was furious with them for what they had done, he knew they would be at him too for what he and Halsey had done. All things aside, these men had lost a friend and comrade, and that was a wound that always cut deep.

Two marines in dark blue dress uniforms and white caps lifted the red flag emblazoned with the gold of the UNSC insignia from atop the simple brown casket. The pair folded it end to end and stowed it away quickly, before giving a rigid and firm salute.

The casket began to roll forward on the conveyor it was sat upon towards a perfectly sized whole in the wall and towards the incinerator. Mendez watched quietly as it disappeared into the darkness. The other men around him gave a series of small salutes, to which he joined in, paying his respects. While it was his job to be on the Spartans side, he would still say his goodbyes. Whatever else Hughes may have been, he was still a soldier and he was still a man.

As the last corners of the casket disappeared and the shutters closed behind it, Mendez turned quickly and made for the exit. He would leave the other men at the wake be, they should be allowed time alone with their grief without having their CO breathing down their neck. What grief he felt was hidden away somewhere in the back of his mind, he had others who needed his concern, others who were much more vulnerable.

Making his way hastily through a series of narrow corridors and then up a set of steep spiralling stairs, Mendez quickly found himself in the infirmary. Heading straight for the lift to the wards, he quickly flashed his authorization badge at the young receptionist behind the central desk; nothing more than a formality really, nearly everyone knew who he was.

Mendez was waved through and stepped into the elevator. Quickly he keyed in the passcode that allowed him to access the second of the two restricted wards that were set aside specifically for Spartans. The lift hummed into life and lurched off the ground, quickly delivering him to his destination.

Mendez stepped off the elevator and was greeted by one the ward' hospital corpsman, a short man but broad shouldered man with thinning hair in a white coat; Mendez knew him as Petty Officer Third Class Jim Mew.

"Good afternoon sir" Mew said as he approached, holopad in hand, flicking through a series of notes and stats.

"And too you Jim" Mendez replied, stopping and shaking the man's hand.

While strictly speaking Mendez should have expected a customary salute and snapping to attention as he was the enlisted doctor's superior officer, there did seem to be a slight disconnect between the main body of the marines and the hospital corpsman. Mendez saw it as a respect thing, these 'docs' put it all on the line to drop into combat zones and make sure they all stayed the hell alive whatever the cost, no marine in their right mind could help but respect the hell out of them for that.

"I'm guessing you have come to see 137?" Mew asked.

Mendez nodded.

"You best follow me then sir" Mew said before turning about and heading down the well-lit and clean hallway.

On the hall there were four different wards, each housing ten beds and fully equipped for nearly every injury you could think of. With two wards with the capacity to house eighty Spartans between them, they had more than enough room to have every recruit be treated and cared for should the eventuality arise. God forbid, Mendez thought as he mulled this over.

Quickly Mew led Mendez to an observation window looking on into one of the sub-wards. Within there were nine beds free, but in the tenth sat alone and solitary was 137. Carris. As Mendez looked he could tell she was more than a little bit messed up, as he had expected. The Spartan had numerous stiches criss-crossing her bruised and swollen face, her right arm was in a sling, her left leg in a cast and lopsided wrapping of bandages wrapped tightly around her temple. But Mendez had seen injuries worse than this before, what really struck him was how vacant her eyes looked as she stared unseeing into the two way mirror he and the doctor were hidden behind, she looked lost.

"How bad?" Mendez said calmly, keeping his concern in his pocket.

"It could have been worse" Mew said, bringing up her profile on his holo-pad "She was treated while sedated by field-medics, albeit very poorly, so that staved off some of the damage but not as much as if she had been brought straight here"

Bastards, Mendez thought.

"The Spartan's enhanced metabolism has helped the healing process significantly" Mew went on "If she was normal she would have been dead, but luckily the worst of the injuries is resigned to some mild internal bleeding and contusions. The vast majority of the damage is skin-deep by Spartan stands, broken bones, cuts, bruises, that sort of thing. Halsey's programme of enhancers seems to be working quicker than expected"

Mew sounded impressed, but Mendez shot him a deathly glare quickly quelling his building enthusiasm.

"How soon do you suppose we can bring her out into the field?" Mendez said.

"Hard to say, her healing rate is fast of course, but it's also inconsistent, we need to carry out some more observations" Mew supposed, thumbing through more notes on his pad.

"Give me a timescale doc"

"If I had to say" Mew shrugged "At least a fortnight"

As much as Mendez would have liked to have turned around and told Mew that that was unacceptable, he knew he couldn't this time and that he didn't really want to either. The Spartans were too valuable and at too crucial a stage in their training for him to be pushing the boundaries of how far he could stretch them. He needed her fighting fit fast, but he wasn't going to have her fighting before she was fit. But while the physical injuries were worrying, he and Halsey both were more concerned about the psychological impacts that this may have had on her.

"What's her psyche-profile like?" Mendez said, watching as 137 took a sip of water from a straw and winced as she swallowed.

"We did a brief evaluation yesterday after her initial treatments, but I do not think it is indicative sir" Mew shrugged

"How so?" Mendez asked

"Well" Mew mused "The results have come back almost what I would call 'normal' for a child that has been through what she has. But I know that Halsey is not looking for 'normal', so I assume this is a bad sign"

While some of the higher ups may have thought that this suggested a failure in conditioning, or see it as an argument for higher doses of inhibitors, Mendez was pleased to hear it. To him it showed that despite all the children were going through, and all of their hijacked developed, they were still at their core human.

"No doctor, this is good news" Mendez said with a nod and the indulgence of a slight smile

"Oh" Said Mew surprised "Well good"

"Would you mind if I spoke to her?"

"I don't see why not. She's slightly dosed on a painkillers at the moment so she maybe a little sluggish"

"That's fine doctor, thank you"

While Mendez didn't say anything, Mew took the hint and headed off back down the corridor, leaving the chief alone at the observation window. Mendez turned to the door and made his way inside.

Mendez saw Carris groggily turn around and lock eyes with him as he entered. She looked almost frantic as she saw him and tried to salute, only bucking the straps that hold her damaged body in place and being rewarded with a sharp dose of pain.

"At ease soldier" Mendez said softly as he crossed the room, he thought it would be best if this was one of the rare times that he would keep things informal.

"Yes sir" Carris said weakly.

He noticed her voice had an out of character lisp to it, probably caused by the missing teeth and swollen tongue that he had seen listed on Mew's chart.

Mendez pulled up a chair from the far side of the room and brought it to Carris's bedside, sitting down next to her. At first they both just sat silently, Mendez couldn't tell if the look in the Spartan's eyes was fear or relief. In reality it was probably a bit of both, he thought.

"How are you feeling?" Mendez said, keeping his demeanour soft but still with the unmistakable commanding presence he had mastered through years of work training marines from every corner of the colonies in boot camp.

While he wanted to have the closest thing he could to a 'heart-to-heart' with the Spartan that he could, he still wanted to maintain a high level of respect and authority. He was not about to undo three years' work of building their firm foundations of he and the Spartans relationship for one moment of sentimentality.

"Sore sir" Carris replied softly.

"You look it soldier" Mendez said "But that wasn't really what I meant. How do you feel?"

A brief look of terror flashed across Carris's battered face when Mendez called her out on her mistake, but quickly it subsided as she considered the question and was replaced by the same vacantness she had had earlier.

"I don't know sir" Carris said meekly after a pause.

"Well then would you like to tell me what happened out there solider?" Mendez went on, he wouldn't pressure her too much, but there was one thing he needed to know.

Carris paused again and sat silently for a moment, chewing the question over, formulating a response. Mendez put her delayed reactions down to a mixture of shock and painkillers.

"I don't know sir, it all happened so quickly" She said "He was so cruel and I was so angry, I wanted to hurt him and I thought I could"

"Did you mean to do it?" Mendez said, staring heard into her rather vacant looking eyes.

"No sir" She replied, staring back.

She wasn't lying.

And that was all he needed to know.


End file.
